One Little Joy of Life
by Pranktical Joker
Summary: During the month following Older Goten's departure, Son had learned about how wonderful it was to exist. Today, on a chilly spring evening, he would be made aware of yet another perquisite of being alive, one into which many have fallen: affection. Follow-up to The Passage Not Seen.
1. 17:00 - 19:00

_Pre-note: Let me use this opportunity to express my gratitude to two parties. First, thanks to my female friend whom I consulted in the making of this story, although she isn't among us fanfiction writers and readers. Second, thanks to Power9987 for beta-reading it. Their input had been a godsend._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball / Dragonball Z / Dragonball GT._

_Happy reading!_

* * *

After the skirmish with Vanitas had been settled, things had finally returned to normal.

Much had changed, and one of the changes was unheard of in the original timeline where Older Goten came from. Despite having his hometown rechristened after his name, Hercule had spoken very little about the circumstances surrounding Vanitas's defeat. Whenever reporters asked him about this, he would always produce an enigmatic response by saying that he fought together with two nameless fighters, and that their whereabouts were unknown since then. He also would go on to state that the battle had been somewhat of an eye-opener for him. What this meant was for him to know and for the reporters to find out.

A possible explanation was that although recorded evidence showing Older Goten and Gohan's victory was absent, a multitude of people—too many of them—had been there to witness the event first-hand, preventing Hercule from fabricating a false story. True, this might sound too good to be true and so farfetched, especially considering how the future version of the man could be sometimes. Whether or not this was true was anyone's guess, but the fact remained: the wonder kids have won his respect. Per Videl's suggestion to respect her newfound friends' plea for privacy and anonymity, Hercule agreed not to speak of Son, Older Goten, and Gohan until their faces had been wiped away from public memory.

That was one thing.

Another thing that had changed since then was the presence of Son, the fusion persona who was brought to independent existence by means of a wish to the Eternal Dragon made by his constituents. He couldn't thank them enough, and for their kindness he had promised to always be a good big brother to both Goten and Trunks, especially the latter.

In addition to that, this particular boy seemed to have developed some kind of a crush on Videl, although whether the opposite was true remained to be seen. This was obvious from his reaction when said girl paid a visit to Capsule Corp on the day preceding Older Goten's return to his timeline; he was extremely shy only when talking with her, and the fact that Gohan would occasionally tease him about it just made it even worse for him.

As for Videl's purpose of visit, it came as a surprise to both Gohan and Goten. Having witnessed what the young warriors were capable of during their battle with Vanitas, she had come to ask to be trained in energy manipulation to reinforce her martial arts skills and protect order in her hometown, previously known as Orange Star City. Innocently yet mischievously persuaded by his twin brother Gohan, Son had no choice but to agree to train Videl, and that was what he had been doing for the past month.

Now, let's take a look at how they spend one particular March day.

* * *

It was a rather lazy evening at Mount Paozu. The temperature was borderline pleasant; it wasn't exactly high, but not low either, owing to the fact that the area had just transitioned from winter to spring. Although the trees were still shy to show off their foliage, snow had melted, and its melancholy, achromatic shade had been replaced by the virid green of grass.

On an extensive clearing somewhere in the depths of Mount Paozu forest, sitting on the turf just outside a white, newly-rebuilt capsule house was a boy around thirteen years of age. Seated on the turf, he was affectionately ruffling the hair of a kid on whose head his chin was rested. The younger boy, who seemed to be half as old as the former, didn't mind his skull being used as headrest; in fact, he loved it, and he wouldn't complain since he felt comfortable sitting on his brother's lap, safe in the protection of his tender embrace.

Brimming with excitement, their collective attention was focused on two other people standing a few metres in front of them, vis-à-vis with each other. One of them, a girl, had this expression that screamed anticipation, while the other put on a playful face, although upon closer observation it was evident that he could be more relaxed. In a glimpse, the two preteens seemed nothing short of ready to engage in a playful activity, except they weren't about to play.

"Okay… so," the boy began, "are you ready for your final training?"

The girl nodded resolutely. "Do you even have to ask, Son? I'm as ready as can be."

Approving of her eagerness, Son grinned in response. He then turned to the bystanders and called to one of them. "Hey, Goten! I need your help, little brother. Can you assist me?"

Hearing the sound of his name, the spiky-haired child sprang out of his brother's hold faster than the eyes could perceive. Goten was extremely enthusiastic about it and would be more than willing to help; he loved it so much whenever big brother Son or Gohan involved him in any of their training sessions. True, he was nowhere as strong as either of them, but by helping them he could learn lots of things and better himself.

In an almost galloping manner, Goten made his way toward Son and then leapt into his arms. The older boy immediately lifted him up and swung him around like an airplane, which he liked even though he was able to fly. "What are we gonna do, big brother? Howdcha want me to help?" asked Goten in a very excited tone of voice.

"Don't worry, you'll know soon enough," replied Son as he put his little brother down on the ground just beside the girl. He stole a glance at her and was glad to see she was smiling at Goten's presence. "There! Now, you know Videl is having her final flying lesson today, right?"

Goten nodded fervently. "Uh-huh! And if she passes, she can leave her huge plane at home whenever she comes here! Isn't that right, Videl?"

"Yup, you're right! You're a smart one, Goten," came Videl's reply, "Plus, I think flying is better than riding planes, because it's cheaper and more eco-friendly."

"What's eco-friendly?" asked Goten again, a look of confusion daubed on his face. Curious as he might be, he was still too young to understand such complicated terms.

"That means it doesn't pollute the environment. You don't want the air to be dirty, do you?"

"No way! The birdies won't like it, too. If planes are bad, you have to pass big brother's lesson so you don't have to pollute the air anymore!"

Just like Son and Gohan liked to do to him, Videl ruffled the tyke's hair. "Wow, this is not hair… it's mane. You're a lion, Goten... a mighty lion!" she said with a tone of voice that amused Goten to no end. She then knelt down and locked gazes with him. "Don't worry, little guy, I will pass the test. I promise." To show him that she really meant her words, she gently took hold of Goten's right hand and hooked her pinkie finger onto his.

That was all it took to gladden Goten even more. With a wide grin that threatened to split his face into two, he jumped in glee; there really was no telling when his vast reservoir of energy would run out, if it ever could. Videl then stood up again, and true to her words earlier, she assumed an anticipant expression to show that she was ready to tackle whatever Son was about to throw to her.

Seeing that his friend and brother were ready, Son once again took the spotlight. He would love to see them in interaction with each other, but it was already four thirty and the air was getting colder by the second. "Okay, so this is how it's gonna work," he said to Videl first, "You'll be assessed not only in speed, but also technique and elegance. What do you think?"

"Sounds good. I'll show you all those lessons in the past are not for nothing," replied Videl.

"Alright! And that's where I need your help, Goten," he turned to the child who responded with an eager nod, "When Videl is flying around, I want you to throw energy blasts at her, okay?"

Goten cocked his head to the left, trying to understand the rationale behind Son's method of training. "Huh? But what if she's hurt? I don't wanna hurt Videl, or you, or Gohan, or anyone."

"She won't be hurt as long as you keep your power low. That way you don't exhaust yourself too fast, too."

"Hmm… so why do you want me to hit her?"

"Well, it's simple. She's gonna have to dodge or swat your blasts, and if she manages to avoid getting hit for more than one minute, she passes. It's a great way to sharpen her reflex and also your accuracy! It's like hitting two birds with one stone. Sounds cool, huh?"

"What's a reflex, big brother? Use easy words, wouldcha?"

Son laughed and told Goten that he would know soon enough. He then asked Videl if she was ready. Of course it went without saying that she was, so Son instructed her to soar in the air and get prepared. Next, he asked Goten to slightly raise his energy in preparation for his onslaught; he needed him to concentrate and maintain the power level stable to keep his blasts from hurting Videl should any connected.

"You ready, little brother?" asked Son, to which he gained a firm nod as his reply. He then lifted his head to see his female friend hovering in the air, then shouted for her to hear, "Okay, Videl, the ground crew's ready! We're starting really soon!"

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let the show begin!" responded Videl.

Pleased at Videl's eagerness, Son produced a soft smile. There were these other thoughts about the girl running in his mind right now, but he had to keep himself focused on the task at hand. "Great! On the count of three, then. One, two, and… three!"

"Da-da-da-da-da!"

With that rather childish cry, Goten unleashed a salvo of energy blasts at Videl's direction. The little boy really wasn't holding back; every second, the number of blasts coming out of his hand easily reached seven, each and every one of them travelling through the air in extraordinarily high speed. Even though harmless, those bright little spheres of energy did sting and might slightly singe one's skin as well.

However, Videl seemed to have little problem dealing with them. It looked like she was dancing in the air; effortlessly and gracefully she swerved here and there with fluid manoeuvres, evading every single blast that came her way. She didn't even need to deflect any of them. It wasn't to show that Goten was a bad marksman, but rather a testimony of how advanced Videl's sense of reflex really was. Of course, this could be attributed to the fact that she had been exposed to martial arts ever since she was little, and being trained by the strongest guy in the planet only fortified the validity of this argument.

One minute finally passed with no single blast connecting, which meant Videl had passed the test. However, Son wanted to take it to the next level just for the fun of it, so he blew three stable ghosts and commanded them to join in the fray. The introduction of those adorable little phantoms caused Videl to get distracted for an instant, but she soon regained her composure and continued doing well.

Evading the blasts and ghosts weren't the only thought in her mind, though. Every so often she found herself having subconsciously stolen a glance at Son, who stood by Goten trying to coach him to improve his energy manipulation skill. While dancing around the air, she started entertaining those thoughts about said boy.

As far as she could recall, Son had never failed to treat others with kindness, especially to those close to him. She knew it was true because she had seen how he interacted with Gohan, Goten, and his parents during the course of her flight training. He could be very shy at times, though, especially when it came down to conversation between them, but truth be told, she saw that as cute.

Shocked at her own thoughts, Videl shook her head. 'Okay, calm down. Son's cute, and I can spend the rest of the day to admire him. Just not now,' she said inwardly.

Son was also extremely strong, but it really shouldn't come as a surprise to those who knew him. After all, he was the one who had singlehandedly defeated Vanitas. His power was way off the chart; no, it was even off the wall the chart was tacked on. Despite this, he never once bragged about what he was capable of, and this humbleness was certainly a plus for her.

'Gee, why am I still thinking about this? C'mon, Videl, focus,' she continued scolding herself inwardly, 'I really need to concentrate on dodging those blasts and ghosts.'

And finally, the part that no single girl would miss: his physical features.

'Wha—hold on! Stop thinking about him! No, no, not now!'

His face had just the right balance between handsome and cute. His obsidian eyes, though sharp, seemed to always be radiating playfulness, although those very eyes also had the power to render her speechless and nervous whenever they locked gazes. And then it came, the thought about Son's body.

'No! Don't look at him… it's not the time!'

Sadly, even though the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak.

Try as she might, she couldn't help stealing yet another glance at him and admiring that perfect build of his. It so happened that the Son's sleeveless purple martial arts uniform revealed parts of his chest and upper arms… it was as though he was a living version of those sculptures depicting handsome-looking ancient gods! As she adored his well-developed muscles on his chest and arms, she could feel the blood rushing to her head, causing it to pound furiously and breaking her concentration. It was as though she was experiencing vertigo.

'What am I thinking? I've gotta snap out of it! I'm supposed to—'

"Peek-a-boo!"

"WAAHHH!"

Thanks to being deep in her thoughts about Son, Videl failed to notice that a ghost had made its way right in front of her, intercepting her in her path of flight. Surprised, she lost control of her energy and started losing elevation. Being a human, she didn't possess that toughness that Saiyans or halflings did; should she reach the ground before she could focus her energy to keep her airborne, the impact was bound to break several of her bones.

Unfortunately, she failed to regain control in time, and she was now only a few metres from the ground. Videl could only brace herself for the impact and the pain that was sure to accompany it…

"Oof! Gotcha!"

… but it never came.

At the last second, Son managed to catch her, sparing her from broken bones and possible blunt force trauma. Out of reflex, he cradled her in his arms, a gesture that succeeded in shocking both of them.

After several seconds of calm, Son carefully helped Videl get back on her feet. At this point, both of them were blushing furiously; neither one of them had the guts to look at the other in the eyes although they were standing side by side. They had something to say, but every time they would just choke on their words and refrained to speak, prolonging the already awkward silence.

Only after yet another ten-second period did Son finally break the wordlessness and spoke. "Um… uh, Videl… are you okay?"

Videl replied that she was okay and thanked him, her hands behind her back and her gaze fixed on the ground below her. "So, Son… did I pass?"

Son was so embarrassed he found it hard to compose a proper sentence. "Eh… um, yeah, you passed. You, uh… stayed airborne for more than a minute, so…"

The boy might be nervous, but Videl was probably as nervous as him, if not even more. Heck, one moment she was thinking about how perfect his body was, and the next second she found herself safe in the protection of his arms! Her face must be burning right now! Oh, how she wanted to just go all-out and give Son a tender hug right now to show her gratitude… but she figured killing herself would be much, much easier.

Now there was this one boy named Gohan who had been watching from the sidelines. Noticing the extremely sentimental state his twin brother and Videl were currently in, his eyes widened, his lips gradually parted into a grin, and there was this drive from within that urged him to get closer and watch how things would play out. He had spent the last month teasing Son about his strange behaviour whenever Videl was around, and he was sure he wouldn't give this opportunity a miss.

However, before he could even get up, the hollering sound of a familiar voice caught his—as well as the other three's—attention.

"Son Gohan! Son Gokan! Son Goten! I need to talk to you three this instant!"

It was the fearsome voice of Chichi. From the way she sounded, it looked like she had her trusted weapon, the dreaded Frying Pan of Apocalypse. And no, the Son matron didn't make a single mistake in her earlier sentence; there really was someone named Son Gokan present in their midst.

* * *

_Chichi wanted Son to live a normal life and had made plans to enrol him in school along with Gohan starting next academic year, so they had to come up with a name for him to use in public. It would be peculiar if he was to be known as Son Son, now, would it? Other than sounding ridiculous, that name wouldn't have any meaning at all and would be no different than pure gibberish._

_And so, during their brainstorming session, Chichi came up with an idea. Since Son had been the result of Fusion performed by her present and future sons, why not christen him in such a way that his presence was representative of Older Goten's being with them? Everybody agreed, and the mother named him Gotan, which was the name adopted by Older Goten during Dr. Goodguy's stay in Capsule Corp in order to avoid being confused with his little self._

_However, Gohan politely objected. According to him, Gotan was just a placeholder that didn't have any meaning, and it would be the same as not giving him a name at all. Chichi perceived her son's opinion as valid, but stated that he had to suggest something if he wanted his argument to count. Blessed with a critical mentality, Gohan had anticipated this, and he came up with an original name. An elaborate explanation regarding time and space, as well as how the name illustrated the connection between their world and Older Goten's, was all he needed to have his proposal accepted by everyone present._

_That was how Son ended up being known as Gokan, although those close to him—Videl and the Brief household included—would continue to refer to him by the name they had grown accustomed to._

* * *

Knowing that his mother could explode into a rage that would cause even a Super Saiyan to fall to his knees, Son apologised to Videl and excused himself in a very sheepish manner. As he walked toward the front porch of the house where Chichi had been waiting, he was joined by Goten and then Gohan, their expression as apprehensive as his own.

Chichi didn't waste any time. As soon as her three sons were gathered near her, she began her verbal blitzkrieg. "Alright. I thought I've made it clear that no energy blasts or explosive ghosts are allowed within twenty five metres from the house!" she rambled faster than a Gatling gun's rate of fire, "Now what excuse do you have to offer, hmm, young men? You'd better have a good answer!"

"I didn't do anything, mom," Gohan stated the plain fact.

"And those ghosts weren't explosive…" said Son.

"And the blasts were weak!" Goten too joined.

Before they could speak another word, the trio were silenced by a blow to the head, each of them getting one. Each strike gave rise to a loud metallic, slightly melodic clang that was somewhat pleasing to the ears; whether it was due to the Frying Pan's durability or the toughness of Saiyan skulls was anyone's guess. The former had higher possibility to be true, though, since it had seen hundreds of strikes ever since it left the store several years ago. In any case, the blows were certain to leave a mark on their scalp.

"Those aren't good answers!" said Chichi again, "Son, you know better than anyone else that your ghosts can be very naughty and have the tendency to mess things up. Goten, I don't care about weak or strong, energy blasts are energy blasts!"

Still firmly believing he had done anything wrong, Gohan protested. "But what about me, mom? I was just watching, that's all…"

"What about you, Gohan? So you want to know?" the mother glared at Gohan, "Well, let me tell you this. You could've stopped them or suggested that they train somewhere else! I don't want our house to get levelled again just because my sons can't adhere to very simple rules!"

Hearing the reply, Gohan stooped his head in defeat. He knew his mother was correct. He could have brought Son, Goten, and Videl to the woods and let them train to their hearts' content. Then again, once even just one of them got scolded by Chichi, all hopes of escaping her wrath were pretty much dashed; she would stop at nothing to avoid exhibiting apparent preferential treatment, and as such would scold each and every one of them over the most trivial matters.

However, Chichi's rage gradually subsided and she returned to her kind, motherly self. After she was sure her sons got the message she was trying to convey, she gave each of them a tender hug and apologised for hitting them with her trusted armament. "I'm sorry, my boys. I just don't want anything bad happen to you. Those rules are there to keep us safe…"

Being the oldest child, Gohan understood very well the good intentions behind Chichi's outburst. No one could blame her, really; back when Gohan was still a little kid, he had been in all kinds of extremely dangerous situations, and that wasn't accounting for the fact that he had been the family's only child back then. He could still remember how—after getting back from Namek with Older Goten and Trunks—she welcomed him with a stream of tears for having caught wind about his demise, which had led her into mistakenly believing that she wouldn't get to see him ever again. The joy radiating from her upon learning that she had been wrong was unmistakeable.

After all, a loving mother would do anything in her power not to let any of her family members run into distress, correct? That was why she came up with strict rules that sometimes could seem to be too much even for the Gohan himself—that was saying something because he was the most passive of the three boys—but as she said, it was all for everyone's well-being. Although Chichi could be quite scary whenever someone broke the rules, Goku and the children still loved her like nobody else because she was just that: a loving wife and mother.

Videl, who had been watching from the distance, sighed softly at the sight and produced a weak smile. She couldn't help but think about how lucky the brothers were to be blessed with such a caring parent, but seeing it also reminded her of the happy times she had spent with her mother in the past, hence her bittersweet response. It had been a long time since she last experienced the warmth of a mother's love, and to tell the truth, she missed it really bad.

She could feel her eyes getting wet, and it really wasn't the best place or time to cry. Fortunately for her, Chichi summoned her; she blinked a few times to contain her tears and mask her sadness before walking toward the house. Now having assumed her place just a few steps beside Son—whether subconsciously or deliberately, it was much to Gohan's silent amusement—she politely greeted the Son matron and asked how she could be of help.

"Well, it's getting late, so I was thinking if you'd stay for a while and have dinner with us," said Chichi. She had no qualms over inviting someone she knew she could trust for dinner, and thanks to her interaction with her sons lately, Videl had fallen under that category.

The girl, however, was taken by surprise. It was true that she had been training and playing with the three Son boys for the past month, but this was the first time her host invited her for dinner. She didn't want her presence to burden Chichi by adding more work to do. "Thanks, ma'am… I appreciate the offer, but I really think I should go home now," she said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, young lady. I'm sure one extra soul won't hurt. I can't just let you starve in your way back home, can I?" Chichi smiled in reply, "Besides, I'm sure no one would mind. Right, boys?"

The youngest child nodded in excitement. Although he firmly believed nothing would beat the excitement of having Trunks over, the presence of a friend in the house never failed to entertain him. Besides, despite the unfortunate yet adorable scuffle when they first met at Capsule Corp, Videl had been very kind toward him, and he liked her presence. As such, he tried his best to persuade her to stay and spend the evening together.

Neither did Gohan mind Videl's presence. When he turned to Son, though, he was treated an amusing sight; said boy latter looked like as though he was nailed to the ground, speechless and blushing slightly. With an array of thoughts running amok in his head, he was too embarrassed to either smile or frown, and this amused Gohan to no end.

Wanting to seize the opportunity to embarrass his younger twin, Gohan spoke up. "That's right, Videl, I think you should stay for dinner. I think I know a certain someone who's more than happy to have you here. Isn't that right… Son?"

The boy in question kept his silence, but he soon learned that it wasn't a good idea. Seeing how Son was acting as well as how Videl reacted to Gohan's words, Chichi put two and two together and finally came to a conclusion. "Whaaat? Son, is what I'm thinking right?"

Now forced to abandon his resolve to be silent, Son asked back. "H-huh? What's right, mom?"

"You… and Videl… are you two—"

"WAAAH! No! No! I don't know what you're talking about!" the boy cried as he burst into a paroxysm of panic. By now his heart was thumping furiously, and he could feel as though steam was coming out of every opening on his face. "C-c'mon! Let's get inside! It's getting cold, yeah… I'm gonna take a bath! No one gets in before me!"

And so Son made his awkward entrance into the house, leaving behind four people on the front porch. Laughing heartily, Gohan too retreated inside—it was very unlike him to be mischievous like that, but that was what you got after spending so much time with his even more mischievous brother from the future. Goten, who was following closely behind, was still too young to understand what the entire affair was all about, but he just knew something very interesting was currently brewing.

Chichi smiled softly at her sons' antics. "Son and Gohan… they remind me of the times when the Goten from the future was here," she said. She then turned to Videl and invited her to come inside and insisted that she stayed. "The boys are perfectly fine with the idea, and Goku wouldn't mind, too. I'm sure of it. It's always nice to share our blessings with other people, so come on in… don't be shy."

Videl was left with no other choice. She knew rejecting an offer which was made out of goodwill was very rude, so she nodded in agreement and followed Chichi inside. The mother, glad that they would be having a dinner with six people, took her guest to the living room, called her sons to keep her company, and proceeded to the kitchen to prepare the feast. With uncertain feelings, Videl did as told and waited for Gohan and Goten.

What else would happen inside the walls of the Son residence this evening, no one could predict. Videl could only sigh; true, she was glad she got the chance to spend more time with Son before going home—and she hoped he felt exactly the same way—but she also was afraid she would mess up by doing anything stupid for his family members to see.

However, she was quick to shrug aside her fears of the unknown. 'Calm down, calm down…' she thought repeatedly while regulating her breath, 'That's it. It's just a dinner with Son and his family. Nothing bad is gonna happen. There we go…'

Whether either Videl or Son would do something stupid or Gohan would cause them to, it was anyone's guess. In any case, one thing was certain: it looked like flowers weren't the only ones blooming this spring.

* * *

_Post-note: In Japanese, "time" and "space" is "jikan" and "kūkan", respectively. The "-kan" shared by both words is represented by the same character, _間_, which per se can mean "interval", "in-between", or "void". As such, the name Gokan, _悟間_, has a personal meaning of "knowledge of the void (of time and space)" to the Son family, referring to the interdimensional abyss separating their world from Older Goten's._

_Also, the idea of Videl marvelling at Son's qualities was inspired by Power9987's story. Credit goes to him for that._


	2. 20:00 - 22:00

_Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball / Dragonball Z / Dragonball GT._

_Happy reading!_

* * *

After more than an hour of cooking process that involved rigorous preparation and efficient workflow, the hungry had finally been fed. Judging from the mess on the table, the amount of food was nothing less than copious; one couldn't simply count how many plates were there, stacked on top of each other. Aside from some bones and inedible bits, absolutely nothing was left behind, thanks to the family's hearty trenchermen.

Videl herself couldn't believe her eyes when seeing how Goten, despite his little build, could stuff so much food into his tummy. It looked as though he didn't need to chew between his spoonfuls—or sometimes handfuls—of food! However, she recalled that he, just like Son and Gohan, weren't exactly human to begin with; his alien heritage must be where that appetite came from, although his elder brothers at least had the decency to eat with the provided cutlery.

Now that she had been fed to the point of satiation, Videl figured it was time to repay the kindness. She decided to help do the dishes in the kitchen before leaving for home, which Chichi accepted with gratitude. The grownup used this time to talk about her family, about Gohan and Goten, and went on to about how Son's presence had been a blessing for all of them despite it meant one more soul to feed. That was why she and Goku were considering using the land around the house to farm vegetables; although the family were still able to live off Ox King's fortune, she thought it was good to have a job and stable income to sustain everyone's needs in the long run. Plus, it made her feel that they finally got to live their lives like a normal family, one that could enjoy what life was all about without worrying about some space tyrant or dreadful android.

Much to Videl's relief, Chichi didn't mention Son at all during their conversation although she could have sworn she felt like being eyed carefully. Getting embarrassed yet again over being confronted about what she thought about him was way down at the bottom of her list of things to do. She had been afraid Chichi would bring him up at some point, but right now she was glad that wasn't the case.

And so, after the plates and cutleries had been placed in their rightful place which was the cabinets, it was time for Videl to go home. Once again she thanked everyone for being so kind as to accommodate her. She then proceeded into the guest room to retrieve the capsule containing her plane, since that was where she had left it before taking her bath… or so she thought.

Last time she checked, capsules were inanimate objects. Her plane capsule, however, seemed to defy the established norm; it had miraculously gained the ability to translocate. Long story short, it was missing.

"Um… Son, Gohan, Goten…" she said as she made her way back to the living room where the others were, "Have you seen my capsule?"

* * *

A little more than thirty minutes had passed since the search commenced, but so far their efforts had been fruitless.

Although all twelve eyes had been peeled open to the point of discomfort, the missing object was yet to be sighted. The Sons and Videl had scoured the room with careful scrutiny and even expanded their search to encompass the living room and kitchen as well, but it seemed as though the capsule always managed to avoid detection. Heaven knew where it was right now.

"That's strange… it's not like capsules can walk or something. Are you sure you put it on Gohan's table, Videl?" asked Chichi.

Exhausted and having lost the will to continue searching, Videl sighed acceptingly and shrugged. "It's okay… the plane's an old model, it's not gonna be missed. I guess I'll just have to fly back home."

"Huh? No, don't!" someone quickly responded. It was Son; on his face was a genuinely concerned look. "It's gotta be here somewhere… c'mon, let's look again. I'll help you, okay?"

Videl was touched by Son's kindness, but she had to reject the offer this time. It was getting late, and she really needed to get back home as soon as possible. Besides, "I've been troubling all of you by staying for dinner. I don't wanna trouble you any further," she said.

However, Son was stubborn. He insisted that they continued their search for just a little bit longer. "Who said you're troubling us? I was—I mean, we were glad you decided to stay, so please, just—"

"Son," Videl interjected. She subconsciously held Son's palm in hers while doing so, effectively silencing the boy—and eliciting an amused expression from Gohan. "It's okay, really. I'll be just fine. Don't tell me you don't believe I can fly well now!"

Indeed, it was true that she had proven herself more than capable of flight, but she just mastered the technique earlier today. Everyone knew Videl was strong in her own right—at least by human standards—but there really was no telling whether she would be able to cover the distance between Mount Paozu and Satan City without running into trouble. The darkness and cold air of the great outdoors at night weren't something to be taken lightly, and surely her journey wouldn't be an easy one thanks to them. It was because of this reason that Son had mixed feelings about letting Videl go just yet.

With that in mind, Son spoke up. "I believe you, Videl… but—"

Again, Videl cut him off mid-sentence. "Then there's nothing to be afraid of. Don't worry," she said. At this moment she realised she had been holding onto Son's hand; she felt her cheeks blush slightly as she let go. "I can take care of myself. I'll be okay… promise."

Son just sighed since he could no longer counter Videl's words. He knew her; once she had set her sight on something, one would need more than just force to stop her. She was that kind of person… one of strong determination. With a weak nod that signified his acknowledgement of defeat, he reluctantly retreated to his bedroom and closed the door.

Videl felt bad for turning down Son's kindness, but she really didn't want to burden the family any further. If the capsule really was nowhere to be found, then it wasn't meant to be found and she might well just let it go. There were planes of newer models back home anyway, and now that Videl was able to fly she wouldn't need them as much as she did in the past, except for crime-fighting purposes.

Finally, she thanked the Sons one final time for their hospitality and made her way out of the house. Upon setting her foot on the turf just outside, though, she was taken by surprise by the bone-chilling air of the mountains at night. Her relatively light set of clothes and gym tights didn't help in fending off the cold either. The zephyr led her to think that finding the plane capsule might not be a bad idea after all, but she was quick to shove that thought aside.

Then, ready to tackle the cold and blast through the skies, Videl prepared to take off…

"Videl! Wait, I'm coming with you!"

… but the sound of Son's voice stopped her from doing so.

When she turned around, to say the least, she was surprised to see said youngster. Donning Gohan's oversized coat over his shirt, he looked warm and ready to go. Once again, this offer of kindness touched her, and she began feeling all tingly inside at the thought that was running in her head. True, she didn't want Son to go through all the trouble just to make sure she made it back home safe and sound, but the prospect of spending more time with him along the way—just the two of them—seemed too good to pass up.

"I told you I'm gonna be okay. You don't have to worry about me," she said in an attempt to hide her feeling of awkwardness, then smiled inwardly and thought to herself, 'But I'm glad he's not mad over earlier… and to think he's really gonna come along with me? Wow…'

"No, it's not okay. I mean, c'mon… you expect me to just let you go by yourself? It's not…" replied Son, but his voice trailed off for a second. It was obvious that he was no less abashed than Videl. "… it's not so gentlemanly, right? Yeah! Heh-heh…" he completed his sentence while rubbing the back of his head.

"But you actually don't have to do that, you know. I can—"

"Uh-huh, but I want to. After all… um, a teacher should make sure his student's fine, right?"

This time it was Videl who couldn't retaliate, although she was very much contented that Son had made the decision to accompany her. The smile which she had kept hidden from others eventually found its way to her face; she gave a nod of approval which Son reciprocated with a playful, heartwarming grin that was enough to make her feel pleasant instead of awkward.

"Okay, then it's settled. Wait here, okay?" said Son. He then entered the house again, told the others to just go ahead and not to wait for him if they were ready to hit the hay, and borrowed a pair of keys before returning to Videl. "Yup, we're all set now. Shall we go?"

With yet another nod Videl replied. She also took her time sincerely thanking Son for his willingness to go the extra mile, which earned her a gently delivered "you're welcome" as the reply. After that little exchange of gratitude, they blasted off to the sky, onward to the dark of night in the direction of Satan City.

Back at the doorstep of the house, the other two brothers were watching Son and Videl's departure. Goten had this slightly concerned look on his face and he mumbled loud enough for Gohan to hear, "Gee, I hope they're gonna be okay."

Hearing Goten's remark, Gohan squatted down beside him and told him nothing bad was going to happen to them. "They're gonna be okay, I promise. Why are you worried, hmm?"

"Well, if you say it's okay, I think it's really okay," replied Goten. Now feeling assured, his expression turned to cheerful again. "I just don't want Videl to get hurt. She's very nice and pretty… I like her!"

"Yeah? Then… do you think big brother Son and Videl is a good match?"

"Good match?" Goten tilted his head to the right and put his index finger to his temple, a telltale sign that he needed time to grasp the meaning behind some word, "Hmm… I don't really understand, but I think big brother and Videl look good together. Seeing them like that makes me happy!"

"It makes me happy, too, Goten. It seems we're thinking in the similar wavelength, huh?"

"What's a wavelength, Gohan? I said don't use difficult words."

"Haha, I think you're still too little to understand," Gohan poked Goten's forehead as he spoke, eliciting a giggle from him, "Now c'mon, your favourite anime is starting. You don't wanna miss it, do you?"

Suddenly, Goten leaped from where he was and wrapped his arms around Gohan's neck, almost cutting his air supply in the process. "Piggyback!" he shouted.

"Oof! Easy there, Goten. Wow, someone's getting heavy here…"

"That's because I'm growing up. Someday I'm gonna be as smart and strong as you and big brother!"

Being recognised was awesome. Gohan couldn't deny that he felt really good when someone, especially Goten, looked up to him. It reminded him of those good times in the past when he would always admire the older version of the brother, the very person who had so kindly helped him to be who he was right now. Truly, to have met him was such a blessing.

Without knowing, he walked down the memory lane as he carried the lazy Goten back inside; he remembered the lessons he had learned from his brother and friend from the future, especially how to accept himself for who he was and always do his best for those he held dear in his heart. Most importantly, though, Older Goten had shown him that there was more to life than what was in the books and encyclopaedias, and that he had to have fun and be mischievous every so often to keep it interesting.

And by the way, speaking of being mischievous, he was actually in that state right now.

Once he got to the living room, he dropped Goten and told him to go ahead and that he would be joining him soon. The little boy agreed; immediately he made himself comfortable by lunging onto the cosy and comfortable sofa, switched on the television set, and set his eyes on the anime show that had just begun.

Gohan made his way into the kitchen and served two mugs of cold beverage—one for him, the other for Goten. He was ready to join his brother, but not yet… there was still something to be done in this room. No, getting some drink wasn't his sole objective. He needed to get something before prolonged exposure to low temperature rendered it useless.

With a knowing smile, Gohan opened the freezer of the refrigerator. He then reached into the very back of the compartment where meat products were being stored to prevent untimely spoilage, but it was obvious that food wasn't his target. After all, why would someone who couldn't even toast a slice of bread properly be interested in frozen meat?

After a while, he finally found what he was looking for, so he took it out and held it on his eye level. The object was a small, elliptical container shaped like a phial with a switch-like lid on top of it.

It was Videl's plane capsule.

Gohan grinned contentedly—it was a triumphant and sincere grin, not an impish one—and delighted at the thought of Son having to accompany Videl until she arrived back home safely. But that wasn't all; something bigger and even more interesting would take place. Somehow, he was very certain of it. He would love to spy on them, but Goten was still wide awake and there was no way he would leave him without anyone to play with.

However, all things considered, Gohan's scheme had been a success. When Son returned home later, he would grill him and force him to spill everything. It was going to be a very fun night for him…

"Have fun, Son. You can thank me later…"

* * *

Son and Videl's journey to Satan City was, contrary to what anyone would have expected, filled with silence.

Not even the normally bubbly Son attempted to start a conversation during the flight. After they had landed just outside their destination—they did so in order not to attract unwanted attention to themselves—neither one of them had the guts to break the comfortable silence.

Now since this was Son's first time in Satan City, he would sometimes slow down to allow Videl to lead the way. However, every time she noticed that he was lagging behind, she would turn back and wait for him. Yes, even though she wouldn't say it out loud, she wanted to keep walking by Son's side, and this just made the boy all the more abashed. He had to admit, though, that it felt really pleasant, and after that he stopped trying to slow down.

Finally, after several minutes of traversing the streets of the city, the two preteens arrived at Videl's house. And to say the least, Son was flabbergasted at the sight.

The building was actually more of a château than a house. It was surrounded by a very sturdy, secure looking wall that stood twice as tall as his height, its continuity broken only by some small decorative openings through which he could take a peek at the main compound. On the midpoint of the wall was a gate made of pry-proof reinforced steel, and an arch bearing the word 'Satan'—spelled with capital letters—sat proudly and majestically over it. And let's not talk about the compound itself; trees, though still yet to blossom, lined the pavement leading to the main house, whose façade was adorned by tall, beautiful windows.

Son was so dumbfounded he didn't notice Videl was actually trying to talk to him. When he finally did, he apologised with a shy smile. "I'm, uh, sorry, Videl… I think I should've paid attention, huh?" he said, "So this is where you live… it's even bigger than Capsule Corp! You must be so happy to have a huge, beautiful house."

"Yeah, this is my house," replied Videl. However, she didn't seem to agree thoroughly with Son; she looked as though she didn't want to go inside the house just yet, so while the boy she had been admiring was here with her, why not procrastinate by talking a little bit longer with him? He wouldn't notice. "But you know, to be honest, I think living in your house is much more fun."

"Gee, really? I'm living in the middle of nowhere, you know that," said Son again, "Even the nearest grocer is around ten kilometres away. Why wouldcha live somewhere like that?"

"It's way quieter. You don't know how hectic it can get here sometimes?"

"You're right, but there's no fun back home. At least there are lots of restaurants, some malls, swimming—"

"At least you don't have a city to protect."

With that remark, Videl seemed to have hit the nail on the head. However, only several moments later, Son realised that they had actually been entrusted with similar responsibilities; being the city's second strongest and as part of her training, Videl had to help maintain peace and order by fighting crime. The same applied to Son, but instead of a city to protect, he had the earth, and instead of petty thugs and robbers, his adversary would be some freak of nature capable of levelling an entire city with just a flick of the finger.

"A plate of steak says you won't like protecting the earth from some freak green robot with a stinger at the tip of his tail," came the reply. Videl wanted to respond, but couldn't; she pretended an irritated face to let Son know he had won the argument, triggering a silly grin from him. "Anyway, what's wrong? I get the impression that you're getting tired of fighting baddies."

"Well, not really," Videl shrugged, "Crime-fighting can be fun sometimes, you know. It's just… sometimes people don't learn from their mistakes."

"Lemme guess, repeat offenders?"

"Exactly! Man, those people can really get on your nerves. They need to be kicked in the groin before they finally learn."

Son cringed and made a funny face at the thought of being at the receiving end of Videl's punishment. "Uh… that's a surefire way to teach them a lesson, I can tell you that. I wonder if Goten and Trunks will stop pulling pranks on me if I do that to them…"

"No, you don't do that to them! That's domestic violence, and social workers will take the kids away if they find out."

"Heh-heh… sounds like something they would say to Gohan," replied Son, "But anyway, dontcha think it's about time you got in? It's getting colder outside and, um, you know… you can catch a cold."

This was it. Son had spoken the words, and it meant it really was time for them to cut short their conversation and part. He was also telling the truth; currently Videl wasn't wearing her coat or jacket or anything that helped in fending off the cold, and the air was getting colder by the second. With a soft sigh she nodded and prepared to go inside the house…

… but not yet. She still wanted to spend the evening together with Son, and since today was only Saturday, no one would mind them getting back home late, right?

"But before you go home… I know a coffee stall that sells delicious hot chocolate near here. Do you wanna come with me?"

"A stall? That means it's open air—Videl! Hold up!"

"C'mon, I won't take no for an answer. I'll wait there for one minute!"

Before Son could even respond further, Videl had darted into the distance and rounded the corner. The boy was left speechless by this action, and left with no other option, he sighed as he too made his way to where his friend had gone to earlier. He wasn't quite sure what to think; for one, he felt glad that Videl had invited him to spend more time together, but on the other hand, he was concerned that the air temperature would do a number on Videl. Now he would have to catch up with her and lend her his coat, although it meant he would have to bear the chilling power of the night wind.

Videl was being playful. She would wait at a corner, and as soon as Son saw her, she would run ahead and wait at the next junction. It eventually came down to somewhat of a game of tag that continued for the next ten minutes when they had finally arrived at Videl's favourite place to hang out with her friends.

It turned out that the coffee stall didn't only sell drinks, but hot dogs as well. A quick look at the menu also revealed that their items were budget-friendly and appealing especially to students, perhaps owing to the fact that it was conveniently situated not that far away from the compound of the most prestigious educational establishment in the city: Orange Star School. As for the stall itself, it really was nothing to brag about; with only a three-by-three square metres of space where the attendants did all the work, it was as simple as could be. There were some moveable chairs and tables around, and patrons could help themselves to arrange them for dining in.

And so, Videl and Son ordered two cups of hot chocolate and—unheeding of the cold—sat down at the table farthest from the stall. There, they slowly consumed the beverage, all while enjoying each other's company.

* * *

"You know, you're right," said Son right before he made his final chug of his beverage. Considering how good the insulation system of the cup was, it was a miracle that he didn't scald his tongue and throat in the process. "This hot chocolate is great! Do you think the owner is willing to open a branch near my house?"

Hearing Son's words, Videl couldn't help cracking a smile. Really, this friend of hers could be so random sometimes. "She might, if you can help her find a place for the kiosk. And the money to build it. And the manpower, of course."

"Hey, I was just kidding," replied Son, "Besides, if it's only chocolate drink, mom can make a great one, too… with cream. For free."

"Your mom, huh…" Videl's voice trailed off as her gaze began to fix on something in the distance, "It must be great to have a mom who can do all sorts of things just for you."

Son didn't miss Videl's sudden change of expression, but then again, who would have? Not more than a minute ago she was still cheerful and all, but now, all of a sudden, she seemed to have slipped into a sullen, sad mood. He figured he might have touched a topic that was not the best to talk about right now, and hoped to spare Videl from further unease. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Videl acknowledged with a nod, but what happened next was contrary to Son's expectation. The situation became more uncomfortable; previously, they had been enjoying their respective cups of chocolate in comfortable silence, sometimes stealing glances when the other wasn't looking. Now, though, the silence was awkward, causing Son to mentally slap himself for spoiling the perfect mood to enjoy the evening together.

However, being a curious boy he was, he found it hard to just ignore what was it that was bugging Videl. Of course, it must have had something to do with her family in general; he could even be more specific and guess it was concerning her mother. Yes, he knew better than to meddle in other families' affairs—Chichi had made sure of it—but if there was something he could do to relieve Videl, he would very much like to do so. Perhaps he could lend her a listening ear, for a start.

"She's no longer with us."

"Huh?"

That was a surprise. As though answering to Son's desire, Videl spoke her mind out, although it really wasn't the kind of answer he wanted to hear. "My mom," she continued, "She passed away when I was four."

Now feeling bad about reminding Videl of something she clearly didn't want to remember, Son apologised. "Oh, I see… I'm sorry about that. I didn't know—"

"Silly you, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong," Videl cut him off mid-sentence and sighed, "I miss her. Since she was gone, things got quite hard for me…"

And so, without much thought, Videl revealed her backstory for Son to hear. Just like she had said earlier, she was forced to live without her mother since almost ten years ago. The absence of a mother—or even a mother figure—slowly but surely took its toll on her; as a result, she grew into a tough, bold, and daring girl that some people might perceive as stubborn.

With her father constantly immersed in the glory of his own wealth, Videl's only source of solace was school. Even then, her classmates would usually think twice before interacting with her, which was understandable. At their age, they expected girls to be tender and nice, and she happened to be right at the other end of the spectrum. Hence, in order to make use of her talents, she offered to help the city police in apprehending criminals and foiling their shady activities, an activity that she fortunately was passionate about.

Be that as it may, she wanted to not be seen as an outlier among her chums. And although crime-fighting was fun and she admitted it, it went without saying that great power begets great responsibility, and sometimes it could be outright overwhelming. What she had actually been longing for was to live a normal and quiet life; that was why earlier on, she had expressed jealousy of Son's laid-back lifestyle that was supported by the environment he was living in.

Son was amazed that the outwardly tough girl had been keeping all those things to herself all this time. Who would have thought so? "Wow, you've gone through a lot, alright…"

"Yeah, my dad has money and everything, but I really don't think money can buy happiness," said Videl in a sombre tone of voice, "That, and friends, I guess."

"Huh? Friends? Whaddya mean?"

"I mean, just because I'm stronger than girls normally are, others at school think I'm weird. How am I supposed to—"

This time, it was Son's turn to interject. "No! That's not true!" he said defiantly, firmly believing what she said was untrue. His lifted his head and locked his gaze into the depths of her azure eyes. "Videl, you're not weird, okay? You're the same as everyone else, and nothing's gonna change that."

"Son…"

"Let's see, now… if you're weird just because you're strong, what does it make me, hmm?" asked Son, "I think I'd be a heck of a freak show. I'd better travel around cities and make extra money by bending iron bars and swallowing swords."

"W-well… you've got a point there…"

"Yeah! So don't worry, okay? If anyone ever calls you weird, just ignore them, because we both know I'm even weirder. I'm not even human… at least I wasn't, but hey! I don't have problems with that."

Everything Son had said was plain truth. For all intents and purposes, considering the magical circumstances of his birth and rebirth into the world, he was more of an anomaly then she would ever be. He never let it bother him, so why should Videl about her problems with friends?

"Um… if you ever get tired of school and work, you can drop by my house," Son added, "I'm sure the others won't mind, too."

"But you don't have to do that! I mean, I'll be a burden…"

"Ah, that's okay, really. You don't know how often Trunks comes and sleeps over. It's either that or Goten goes to Capsule Corp. And listen, Videl…"

"Yeah?"

"Dontcha dare think no one wants to be friends with you. Gohan and Goten would be sad if they know it."

That was right. Even though Videl had only known the Son boys for two months or so, she had always been a welcome presence in their midst. They had no qualms about her being a tough girl, perhaps thanks to the fact that they themselves weren't exactly normal either. She felt glad beyond belief that she had met Son who saw the good in her, and not just him; Gohan, a very intelligent and kind boy, and Goten, a child she had grown to like as her own little brother, too.

When she finally felt reassured and consoled, Videl sincerely thanked Son for his trouble. However, she soon realised she had taken a significant amount of his time. "Gee, what was I thinking? I'm sorry, Son. I didn't mean to drag you into my problems."

"Whatcha talking about? It's okay, really," Son just shrugged in reply, "I like listening to people so I can help them with their problems. Gohan loves doing it, too."

"Hee-hee… nosy brothers," Videl retorted with a mischievous smirk, triggering a funny unamused look from her friend. After her giggles had died down, she carried on, "You know, you're the first person to hear about all these things. I never told anyone else, but I know I can trust you."

"Really? I feel privileged."

"You should."

To Son's relief, the atmosphere had reverted into its normal, relaxed state. That meant he had succeeded in easing Videl from her emotional burden! He discreetly produced a triumphant smile, glad to be of help to his friend.

The next three minutes were spent in silence with Son waiting for Videl to finish her beverage. When she finally did, it was time to return home; the clock had struck ten, and normally, kids their age wouldn't be able to roam outside at such a late hour simply because they weren't allowed to. With that in mind, and before Hercule got unnecessarily worried and started frantically calling his only daughter's phone, they stood up and prepared to leave the coffee stall.

Just as they left, though, a chilly breeze picked up from nowhere and caught the two off-guard. Even the coat-donning Son was taken aback by the cold, let alone Videl who was clad only in light clothes and tights. "Wow, it's cold, alright… I should've taken my own jacket before coming here."

Son noticed that Videl was actually shuddering, and figured that the constant zephyr was slowly taking its toll on her. He wanted to do something to help her fend off the cold, and he knew what exactly he had to do: lend her his coat. As a boy, he was expected to be gentlemanly, so it was only a natural course of action to take.

Having said that, he didn't have the guts to do so. He wanted to say something, but it seemed as though he kept choking on his words. Heck, even the thought of doing it was enough to make him blush furiously! It was as though steam was coming out of his ear, and for a moment there he felt extremely hot in spite of the chilly air. Perhaps it was thanks to the fact that his heart was beating so rapidly, thus forcing blood to his face and creating an illusory sensation of warmth.

For the next two minutes he walked in silence, torn between making his move and not, all while trying to suppress his embarrassment. He soon realised, though, that the more he tried, the more restless he became. Even though he was at first reserved about making his move, he kept feeling this urge to just go for it.

Finally, having rallied his courage, Son spoke up. "Hey, um… Videl…?"

"Yeah, Son?"

"Are you… cold?"

"Why, me? A bit, but… it's okay," replied Videl. However, another breeze picked up from out of nowhere, and she contradicted her statement by shuddering even more. Son noticed this, and Videl silently cursed her luck. "Aw, c'mon, nature. It's already spring and the temperature is supposed to be warm—"

Videl was cut off mid-sentence when she felt something enshrouding her: Son's coat. Before she could even form words, an arm wrapped itself around her shoulder, yanking her ever so tenderly and gently toward the owner. The next moment, she found herself leaning on her friend's torso. The entire process took less than two seconds; Son bit his lower lip and quickly shifted his gaze to the right, preventing Videl from seeing his face which was now even redder than a cherry.

Little did Son know, she was actually in the same state as him. Surprised beyond belief, Videl's eyes dilated; she couldn't believe she was in direct contact with the boy she had been dying to spend time with! Her heart started to thump furiously in her chest, but she could also feel Son's beating in an even more rapid pace.

"S-son…! Why… you're gonna catch a cold…!"

"Well, uh… you're cold, right?" Son stuttered in forming his words, "I think it's better if the one catching it is me… instead of you."

Videl was rendered speechless by that statement, but deep down inside, she was extremely happy because Son had gone out of his way to ensure her well-being. It was warm and very comfortable under the coat, and leaning on his chest felt so heavenly… she felt safe in his protection, and it was as though nothing could harm her now.

The same went for Son. His heart seemed as though it wanted to force its way out of his chest, but he felt blissful. Although now he was sharing his coat with Videl, he felt no less warm than before; whether it was due to the blood rushing to his face or his friend leaning onto him, he didn't know. However, one thing was certain: never before had he experienced such a wonderful feeling before, and to tell the truth, he enjoyed every last bit of it.

When they had finally arrived at their destination, they took a seat on the metal bench right by the majestic gates and spent some moment of silence, just the two of them. His arms still locked around his friend's shoulder, Son acted out of courage—or was it just him being foolhardy?—by gently stroking her cheeks that were starting to get red due to cold.

This time, Videl was relaxed, although she still couldn't quite control the pace of her heart beat. It was evident that she was enjoying Son's action. To ensure him of it, she seized his free hand, holding it tenderly in her palms. At first it surprised him to no end, making his gentle strokes feel more like scrapes, but he soon regained his composure and recovered from his shock.

Son turned his head to find Videl resting hers on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed, her cheeks blushing, her lips formed a slight smile; it was as though she had experienced the touch of heaven. As he continued to study her countenance, he subconsciously entwined his fingers with Videl's. 'She sure has a cute face,' said Son inwardly.

Right now, Son was isolated from the outside world. He lifted up his head to see the night sky littered with stars, thinking about the girl sitting beside him. Nothing else was in his mind right now; he simply couldn't find anything to divert his thoughts to, and even if he did, they would just stubbornly home back to her.

When Son returned his gaze to her face, a sensation he had never experienced before coursed through his body. There was something from within, something he had been keeping to himself in the dark for a long time. Something that Gohan had been nagging him about. Something that right now was urging him to let it out.

This was it. This was the moment of truth for Son. Videl's responses served as proof for him that his feelings had been reciprocated. He really wanted to say those magic words. Here. Now. He wanted to let Videl know that he was looking to move to the next level. More than friends. No turning back.

He was ready.

"Hey, Videl."

"Hmm?"

Son opened his mouth, but upon seeing Videl's eyes slowly opening, he found himself unable to form words. It was so close! He slapped himself mentally for his last-minute cowardice and cursed inwardly. "… uh, never mind," he said instead.

Little did Son know, Videl saw right through him. She gave out a light chuckle laden with anticipation and nervousness. Oh yes, she was well aware of what Son was going to say. "It's okay. You don't have to say it."

"H-huh? What?" Son blinked several times as gears started spinning in his head.

Videl inhaled and then sighed audibly. Just like what Son had done earlier, she looked up and counted the stars in her heart. When she felt she was ready, she fixed her gaze on Son's and tightened her grip on his palm.

She would be the one to say the magic words first.

"Me too, Son. I really like you… more than just a friend."


	3. 23:30 - 00:00

_Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball / Dragonball Z / Dragonball GT._

_Happy reading!_

* * *

_She said it._

_Really, those words came from Videl's own mouth, and Son heard them with his own ears. However, he still could hardly believe it! He just couldn't readily accept the plain fact that his feelings were reciprocated, which was strange. Last time he checked, he was the one who wanted to take their friendship further, but now? He was supposed to be happy, but why was he bewildered?_

_His mind was completely blank and devoid of thoughts. It was as though the whole universe was revolving around him, an indeed strange sensation similar to a vertigo. Despite that, he didn't stop caressing Videl's cheeks; he simply couldn't. To be more specific, something told him not to. Somehow Son knew she was enjoying the moment as much as he himself was._

_It was a full two-minute period before one of them decided to break the silence. That someone was Videl. "Um… so?" she whispered._

_"So… so…" Son repeated the word like a broken record, "So are we… you know…"_

_"I know what?"_

_"That's … you know, you said… you like me."_

_"… more than just a friend. You saved our lives, you believed in me…"_

_"Well… does it mean… we're in…"_

_"We're in a relationship now?" Videl finished the word for Son. As a reply, she was treated with a very adorable sight: Son looking down at the ground and nodding his head very, very slowly. This made her heart beat even faster, although she didn't know why. "I think so… yeah. But that's only if… if you like me, too… I guess?"_

_"H-huh? Of course I like you!" the halfling replied almost immediately. However, he was surprised by his own action; he finally said it! He finally got to confess his feelings! It might have been triggered by Videl's statement, but it didn't matter now. "Woah… I said it, didn't I?"_

_Videl giggled in response and snuggled closer to him. "You did. Son… I'm so happy you think so…"_

_Actually, she would be lying to say that she was happy. She was esctatic. Another period of sweet silence followed, and not knowing they had gone past the ten-thirty checkpoint, they continued to spend what time they had with each other's company._

_When Son was asked since when he had been harbouring feelings for, he revealed that it was since their first meeting—or more precisely, since that intimate moment they had shared before he ran out of time. Because his conscience was suppressed when he split into Gohan and Older Goten, their encounter was still fresh in his memory upon being brought back into life with the aid of Shenron. That was why he was very surprised to see her at Capsule Corp, and because those thoughts about her had been running around in his mind back then, he had very little to say to her. He was simply too busy trying not to embarrass himself in front of her._

_"So, since that time, huh?" asked Videl, "You know, I was sad that you had to go. I thought I wouldn't be able to see you again…"_

_Son nodded in understanding. "Me too. To see you again… my brothers had to fuse again. I thought it wasn't gonna happen, because Goten had to return to his timeline for good…"_

_"But then they brought you to life. Which is good…" Videl paused to add a dramatic tone to her words. She then hooked her right arm onto Son's left one. "… because you're cute."_

_Son knew he should get used to such compliments since they were now—quoting Videl—in a relationship, but he just couldn't help feeling lightheaded. Again, he studied Videl's face intently, although it wasn't long until he let out a giggle that sounded like a squeal. "Um… really?" he asked._

_"Mm-hmm. Your little brother is cuter, though."_

_"Goten's just a child…"_

_"Hee-hee. I know. I wonder how you looked as a child."_

_"I wish I know the answer… too… uh…"_

_"Son? What's wr—"_

_"Achoo!"_

_That was a very badly timed sneeze._

_Luckily Son managed to turn his head away from Videl at the last moment, sparing her from a certainly disgusting shower of snot. He just couldn't imagine how she would react had he not looked away, but he was glad it wasn't the case._

_Videl was slightly caught by surprise by the suddenness of the sneeze, but she was otherwise alright. However, she was worried that Son might be on the verge of getting a cold. He sniffled several times, perhaps to ease the itching sensation on his nose, but not even five seconds later he let out that mighty sneeze of his yet again._

_"Are you okay?" asked Videl with a concerned tone of voice._

_In reply, Son could only smile in embarrassment. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said between his sniffles, "Don't worry about me."_

_"You big dummy… do you think you can fool me? See, your nose is running. Here," Videl said as she took out her pack of tissue from her pocket and used a sheet to wipe Son's nose._

_It finally occurred to Son that Videl had brought her face toward his own in the process. It was then that he felt this great push from within to perform a very instinctive action; basically, every part of his body was forcing him to shove aside his worries and give in. Apprehensive and doubtful at first, Son found out that the more he resisted, the stronger the urge grew, and right now his will was starting to yield._

_He finally reached a point where he could no longer restrain himself from making the move, so he gave in and rallied his courage. After all, they were now boyfriend and girlfriend, so doing this would be alright, wouldn't it? With that thought in mind, his face blushing furiously, and his heart pounding against his ribs, he cupped Videl's chin in his palms and held her head so that they were staring directly into the depth of each other's eyes._

_"Son?"_

_The Saiyan boy ignored that sound of his name and pressed on. His eyes now shut and his arms trembling, he brought his face closer, and closer, and even closer toward Videl's…_

_… and now, his lips were just centimetres away from hers, and with just a little boost of courage he would plant a light, innocent kiss…_

* * *

"Son!"

"Wah! W-what…?"

Son returned to the present time by a slap to his back originating from Gohan.

The older twin eyed Son with a mix of amused and curious expression. He could have sworn, ever since coming back from Satan City to see that Videl reached home safely, this brother of his had been exhibiting uncharacteristic behaviours. For starters, there had been lapses in his attention, it took longer than it should for him to respond to verbal stimuli, and—perhaps the most amusing of all—an ecstatic smile was on his face all the time.

All those behaviours would eventually culminate in what just took place. They were watching a late-night program together, but Gohan realised Son wasn't actually paying attention to the show. Although he was looking at the direction of the television set, it looked like his gaze was fixed to something beyond. He didn't respond to Gohan's call, which led the latter to yank him back to reality with that slap.

Something must have happened back in Satan City, Gohan was sure of it. True to his resolve earlier on, he began probing for information. Knowing he shared Older Goten's fondness of sweet treats, Gohan even bribed him with a pint of ice cream he had found inside the freezer. However, it all was in vain; Son was stubborn and wasn't about to submit that easily.

"Aw, c'mon, Son. Tell your big brother everything."

The ex-fusion shrugged in reply. He made every effort to avoid making even the briefest of eye contact with his interrogator. "I… dunno. I don't wanna keep secrets from you, but—"

"Then whatcha afraid of? You know I won't tell anyone about it," Gohan kept pressing on while playfully elbowing Son, but still he couldn't extract any valuable knowledge. He figured it was time to use his cunning he had inherited from Older Trunks; if Son still didn't want to talk, then he just had to make him to. Sporting a roguish glimmer in his eyes, he put his index finger to his right temple. "Or perhaps you've done something bad, so you don't wanna speak up."

"Huh? Something bad… as in… what?"

"Well, like… playing doctors and stuff?"

Sure enough, Son immediately lashed out and dismissed Gohan's unfounded hypothesis. "N-no! Of course not! Whatcha saying, Gohan? We didn't—"

"Pretending to get married?"

"It wasn't like that! It… it was only a peck, I swear—oops…"

Having realised his blunder, Son's eyes widened as he covered his mouth with his palm. How could he fell right into Gohan's trap? How could he even not see it in the first place? After that, he spoke nothing else, probably because he was too engrossed in mentally calling himself names for being that gullible—not just once, but twice. Well, the first one didn't really count since Videl hadn't tricked him into confessing his feelings, but still…

This information came as a total shocker to Gohan. Despite the innocent accusations he had thrown as a bait, he hadn't reckoned that Son actually had gone that far! He thought they would have at most hugged each other, so this was really, really beyond his expectation.

His lips slowly parting into a grin, he shook Son's shoulders in amusement. "S-s-son… you mean… you did…?"

No response.

"You're… telling me the truth, arentcha? You… and Videl…"

Still no response.

"You two… kissed?"

The poor boy could only stoop his head in shame. He had lost the battle; there was no more use in keeping it to himself any longer. He nodded weakly as he let out a defeat-acknowledging sigh.

"That's… awesome!" Gohan burst out in excitement, "Son! You're awesome! I didn't think you could do it, but you did!"

"W-what's that supposed to mean, huh?" Son retaliated. By now the light peach complexion of his face had been replaced by a reddish hue. "I… I bet you wouldn't dare doing it!"

"Woah, easy there! I was just kidding, okay?" Gohan flailed his hands around in an attempt to quell Son's outburst. After being reassured that this information would never leak to other parties, the latter finally calmed down. "Phew… but really. Way to go, Son! You've got a girlfriend! You're not single anymore! I'm so happy for you!"

Hearing those words, Son frowned and gave his brother his best death glare. "What if dad hears us? Or worse, mom? Keep your voice down, wouldcha?"

It was Gohan's turn to hold his palm against his mouth. He had to comply since having a mischievous ghost explode on him was the last thing in his list of things to do; he could be seen struggling to refrain from laughing. When he had recovered, he made himself comfortable again and leaned to the backrest of the couch, and exhaled contentedly.

After a period of silence, Gohan spoke again. He wanted to continue doing what he did best: teasing Son to no end. "How was it?"

"How was what?" asked Son, a puzzled look present on his face.

"You know, the whole thing," Gohan paused to cleared his throat, "How you two ended up being boyfriend and girlfriend and stuff."

Son was careful about this. He wasn't going to fall victim to Gohan's wicked plan anymore, not for the second time! "Do you really need to know, or just wanna know?" he asked in a tone of voice that conveyed suspicion.

"I just wanna know. Aw, c'mon, Son, tell me. Don't be stingy."

"You have to promise me you're gonna keep this a secret."

Gohan replied that he would. To assure Son that he took his words seriously, he placed his left hand on his chest, lifted his right hand to his eye level, and repeated his words again, as though saying an oath. However, even this didn't satisfy Son; only after exchanging a firm handshake was he finally convinced.

And so, he began recounting his experience, starting from their arrival at Videl's house. From there, Son told Gohan everything: the little game of tag. The coffee stall. About helping Videl with her problems. The sharing of coat. The intimate moment they shared outside the house. And finally… the moment of truth.

"… and then, when I was looking at her, I sneezed. I tell you, it was the worst possible time, really!" he said indignantly.

"Eww… then what happened?"

"I was lucky I could look away just before I sneezed, so she was okay. Then she wiped my nose."

"Something tells me things are getting interesting."

"Hee-hee… actually, yeah," replied Son. Looking rather embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "I, uh… felt this push to, well… you know…"

At this point Gohan had become more excited. He was getting closer to the meat of the story, and he sure as heck didn't want to miss out the juiciest part. "Wow, really? C'mon, tell me more! How did you do it?"

"Well, you see… when she wiped my nose, our face was THIS close," Son brought his face within centimetres from Gohan's while being careful not to establish physical contact. That would be awkward. "Then I just held her head… and… yeah…"

"Woah! Held her head… as in like this?" Gohan forcefully took hold of Son's head and shook it rather violently. It was evident that he could no longer contain his excitement.

"G-g-gohan! Lemme go! It… it wasn't this—"

Before Son was able to finish his sentence, the sound of something shattering could be heard from the doorway. Instinctively, both of them turned their head toward the source, and oh, how they wished they hadn't. With their eyes as wide as a petri dish and their mouth agape, it looked like they had just seen a ghost. Only this time, seeing a ghost had to be the better scenario.

The person standing in the doorway was Goten.

On the floor right beneath him, one could see colourful pieces of ceramic and a puddle of water. His expression frightened beyond belief, the poor tyke was as still as a statue with both hands stretched out in front of him, making it look as though he had been holding something. Immediately, Son and Gohan to put two and two together; Goten must have been walking back to the room after getting himself a glass of water when he happened to see the rather unorthodox position they were currently in.

Knowing the extent of the trouble they had gotten themselves into, the twins gulped nervously. "Uh-oh…" they said in unison.

"Ewww! That's… gross!" Goten finally spoke after that extremely uncomfortable period of silence. It didn't take long for him to start sniffling, and just a second later, he began screaming his lungs out for the world to hear. "Waaahhh! Gohan… and big brother! You… did… kissy…!"

Plagued with panic, Son and Gohan tried to calm Goten down and approached him. "Goten… we didn't do anything, okay? It's not like what you—"

"WAAAAAHHH! MOOOMMM!"

With that ear-splitting cry, Goten darted away into the direction of Goku and Chichi's room. The other two needed not be told twice; they immediately gave chase in order to prevent their little brother from reaching his destination and explain everything. And no, neither of them dared to imagine what would happen should the parents—especially Chichi—hear Goten's account and perceived the misunderstanding as a fact.

Whether or not Son and Gohan succeeded in silencing the wailing kid in time, only Dende knew. What they knew for certain, though, was this: if they still wanted to keep their lives, they knew they had to succeed.

"Son, if we don't survive tonight, I wanna tell you something."

"What is it, Gohan?"

"You're a great brother, and I'm very happy for you."

"Thanks. You are, too, and I'm glad I get to meet you."

Yes, while they still could, they had better cross their fingers and hope for the best. In any case, one could expect that this little house situated in Mount Paozu was bound to be lively tonight.

* * *

_Post-note: Well, that's it for this short story. I hope it has been a good read for all of you. Thanks for sticking until the end! Until we meet again in the next story, stay cool!_


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